A heavily pregnant woman was going into labor. She begged her husband to take her to the hospital, but he refused and locked her inside his old farmhouse. She delivered the baby at home, but the baby was missing when she woke up and looked around. Dr. Ruby Stevens moved to this town five years ago. Growing up, she always fantasized about life under a white coat, checking patients’ pulses and curing them. She studied medicine, and when she was offered a position in a private maternal hospital in this town, she couldn’t resist and immediately moved with her husband.
Ruby has seen a variety of patients throughout her time in the hospital. She was also acclaimed as a savior by most mothers in town for assisting them in having successful childbirth. She was going over her week’s appointments when a couple walked in uninvited. “Hello, Dr…. I WISH YOU WOULD GET RID OF THIS, “the man said without properly introducing himself. Ruby was taken aback because she had no understanding what he was on about.
“Please excuse me?” Ruby inquired, her face perplexed. “DON’T YOU SEE THIS?” The man became enraged and pointed to his wife’s baby belly… “I hope you’re not blind, doctor,” said the man. Of course, Ruby was taken aback because she was just congratulated for her efforts and not mocked. The man was harsh and stated that he did not want the baby. His wife was sobbing alongside him.
She tried to break free and flee as soon as she could, but her spouse refused to leave her. ” We met two years ago and married last year. But it wasn’t until I moved in with him that I saw his true colors. “Stop wailing like a worthless idiot!” exclaimed the man to his expectant wife. “It’s entirely your fault. You know how much I despise babies, and you’ve kept this thing growing inside you hidden from me!
“The woman whined inconsolably and asked her husband to take her home. But the man was deafeningly deafeningly deafeningly He kept saying that he didn’t want to have the baby and called her names for hiding it from him. “I’m sorry, but I can’t do this if the mother isn’t willing,” Ruby said. “It violates both the law and our hospital’s policies.”
But the man was obstinate, and after a while, he demanded that Ruby do what he said. “After all, you’re a doctor, and you should do what I say… You work for money, and I’ll give it to you… WILL YOU NOW DO IT?” Ruby was on fire, yet she kept her cool. Her respect for her position kept her from yelling at the man. She tried nicely dismissing him, assuming he would listen. “I don’t work for money, and she’s past the point of no return… I can’t do that and endanger her life “Ruby responded.
However, the man refused to stop ranting at Ruby and his wife. He had the impression that both women were conspiring against him, and he continued to yell and accuse them. Ruby had snapped at this time. “If you don’t stop yelling and leave right now, I’ll call the cops! Get out of my office now!” Ruby was enraged. The man waited for a moment before taking his wife’s hand in his. He frowned as he went out of Ruby’s office. He cursed, “YOU’LL REGRET SAYING NO TO ME!” “I’LL RETURN FOR YOU. Ruby breathed a sigh of relief as he walked away. The sight of the miserable pregnant woman, on the other hand, haunted her.
She wanted to make sure the lady was okay, so she phoned the cops to investigate… “We looked everywhere, but no one saw them until you, Mrs. Stevens,” the officer explained. The duo could not be tracked further since the hospital’s CCTV cameras were being repaired. Ruby appeared disoriented and unable to concentrate on her work throughout the day. “I should’ve taken down her phone number or their names,” she exclaimed, stunned. “I should not have allowed her to travel with him unless I knew more.”
Even at home, Ruby couldn’t get over what happened. She regretted not taking a stand for the lady and felt terrible for not doing anything to help her. “I should’ve done something to help her, Matt….” Ruby told her husband. “That look in her eyes, I cannot forget that…She wanted to convey something but couldn’t do it.”Although Matthew comforted Ruby and told her that she did try to help by calling the cops, Ruby was unmoved. She anticipated something terrible would happen to the woman but couldn’t predict what.
For the next couple of months, Ruby slowly forgot about the lady. She still hoped that she would be okay, but since too many births were scheduled at the hospital, work pressure got the best of her. “Mrs. Jason…and there’s Mrs. Lewis….” Ruby read out the appointments for labor scheduled over the next few weeks. Just then, she recalled the pregnant woman. Since hers was the only maternal hospital in the entire town, Ruby was confident about meeting the lady again during labor.
But even a month later, Ruby didn’t see the woman around, not even for checkups. She felt something was fishy, but Matthew assured her everything would be okay and that maybe the couple would’ve visited from another town. Even Ruby hoped for the same…A few days later, Ruby was fast asleep at home when she heard a weird noise outside the window. She thought she was dreaming but woke up suddenly to someone bawling outside. “You hear it too???” Matt whispered. “What is it? Let’s go check.” Ruby knew they couldn’t be imagining the same thing and immediately got up to find out.
As they neared the main door, the crying sound was louder. “A BABY???” Ruby shrieked after hearing the loud, terrifying bawls. They opened the door and found a baby swaddled at their doorstep with a note: “I WARNED YOU, DIDN’T I? IT’S YOUR PROBLEM NOW, NOT MINE.” Ruby was sho=cked and confused. She carried the baby inside and warmed him up. “What sort of a monster would leave a poor baby out in the cold?” she exclaimed. “She shouldn’t have had the child if she wasn’t planning for it…poor thing.
“Matthew calmed Ruby down and immediately called the cops. The officers arrived a little later and checked for clues in the security camera footage outside Ruby’s house.”This is one clever man,” the officer told the couple after the footage revealed a man in a mask placing the baby on the doorstep. Ruby was stunned because she’d assumed the child’s mother had abandoned it. She couldn’t understand why a man was doing this.
The footage also showed the guy leaving in a car, but he wasn’t smart enough to hide the license plate number. The officers informed the control room about the number and tracked the guy’s address. “His name is George Reid, and he lives on 5th Street….” the officer read out loud. Ruby stayed home with the baby while Matthew hurried with the cops to the man’s address, located several streets away.
They broke into what looked like an old farmhouse and froze in front of a horrifying scene on an old ragged bed…”Hey miss…miss, are you alright?” an officer shrieked, splashing water on a woman’s face. She lay still on the bed and was unconscious. She woke up moments later and couldn’t sit.”Can you please call the doctor? I went into labor alone…Where is my baby?” the woman cried.
Matthew and the officers realized that she was the baby’s mother and immediately called an ambulance. They scanned the house. It was messy and smelled of mold. They found George’s picture and sent it across to trace him. “You live here, alone?” the officer interrogated the woman. “Why didn’t you go to the hospital to deliver the child? And where is your husband? Is he your husband?” The officer raised George’s picture.
She was exhausted even to utter a word. But she knew it was her only chance and told the officers about her and how she got there…”My name is Ember…Yes, he is George, my husband,” she revealed, pointing to the picture. “We fell in love two years ago and married last year. But I witnessed his true colors only after moving in with him.”
As it turned out, George had assured Ember that he was working in a big real estate company, but in reality, he was an odd-jobber who never stuck to a job for long. However, Ember remained in their marriage, assuming he would change one fine day. But it had only gotten worse as soon as he found out that she was pregnant.
“I didn’t tell him we were expecting. But then he found out and wanted me to terminate my pregnancy, but the doctor refused and threatened to call the cops on him.” Ember’s narration sounded familiar to Matthew. He was stunned and asked her if she’d visited any maternal hospital several months ago.”Yes, he took me to a hospital in town and argued with the doctor to terminate my pregnancy…but the kind woman refused…
and I carried my pregnancy to term because there was no way out,” Ember replied.”I felt strange last night and knew I was going into labor…I begged him and even promised him I would take my child and move away from him, but he kept me confined to this place and locked me up,” Ember recounted. Matthew couldn’t believe his ears. He recalled Ruby’s words and regretted not investigating further. “I should’ve known earlier and helped you out,” he muttered.
Ember was rushed to the hospital to be treated while Matthew informed Ruby about everything. “Oh my! This is unbelievable!” Ruby exclaimed over the call. “Don’t leave that monster…please find him!” she cried. The officers issued a search warrant for George. After nearly three hours, he was found in the airport in the neighboring town. He had tried to flee to another state. The officers arrested him and dragged him to court for the hearing…” It’s so shameful that people like you still exist,” the judge fumed at George, who was presented in court the following Monday.
“You belong behind bars, and there’s no escape for what you did.”George was sentenced to a long term in jail. After hearing his case, no lawyer stepped forward to appeal for his bail. As a result, he had no choice but to spend several years in prison for his wrongdoing. Ember and the Stevens remained thick friends for several years. Ember’s son, Lloyd, was now five and he and Ruby’s daughter, Mary, grew up together and loved each other’s company. Ruby helped Ember find a job in the hospital and even had her move in a block away from their house.
“I cannot thank you enough for your help.” Ember often got emotional whenever she recalled her past. “Maybe we were destined to meet!”Ember and Lloyd were more like family now, and they adored Ruby’s daughter. Ember made sure that she did everything to raise her son as a kind man who knew how to respect women and children.